AN INDEPENDENT investigation into allegations of bullying and harassment of patients and staff at Romney House surgery in Tetbury, has cleared a GP of wrongdoing.

The report by Capsticks law firm found that evidence against Dr Malcolm Gerald did not support that he acted in a bullying, intimidatory or undermining manner towards patients or staff.

Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England commissioned the report last year, with concerns over poor patient experience also raised.

Residents at a town meeting claimed Dr Katharina Nehrig had been ‘forced out’ of the surgery due to alleged bullying.

They said this followed two other female doctors leaving the surgery in recent years - Dr Angela Kirby and Dr Caroline Maxwell.

A petition calling for the problems at Romney House to be resolved gained almost 900 signatures and Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was also contacted. Dr Gerald retired rom the practice on September 4, 2017.

The report concluded that the investigation at a time of great stress and activity within the practice, had provided a significant learning experience for Dr Gerald.

Dr Gerald was found to have acknowledged honestly where he had got things wrong.

The report also found that his clinical standards were found to be at or above the standard expected of an NHS GP.

The findings did take patient experience into account but found that the negative experiences were of a minority of those staff interviewed, with two common themes occurring. Firstly, patients being kept waiting, with Dr Gerald running late and secondly, style/approach issues, where patients felt they were not listened to or empathised with.

The report did acknowledge that there were reports of conduct that could constitute undermining behaviour towards staff, but they should be viewed in the context of the pressured environment and the strong personalities at the practice.

NHS England commenting on the report, said: “Having thoroughly reviewed and considered the independent report in full, the CCG and NHS England accept the findings.

“We will now work with the individual concerned to implement the recommendations.

“The experience of patients and the wellbeing of staff who work for the NHS will always be of paramount importance to us.”